Child car seat

Abstract

The child car seat simulates the motions and sounds of a car seat being driven over a road in order to comfort and soothe an infant and to induce the infant to sleep. An infant may be placed on padding attached to the top interior of the seat body and restrained by a left blanket half and a right blanket half. A motion mechanism located in the base of the seat body may cause movement of the child care seat that resembles the movement that a car seat would experience in a moving vehicle. One or more speakers located within the shell of the seat body may play an audio program to simulate vehicular and traffic noises. The intensity and type of movement and the volume and specific audio program may be selected from controls located on the upper rear of the seat body.

The inventor claims: 
     
       1. A child car seat comprising:
 a seat body, a motion mechanism, one or more speakers, a controller, one or more sound controls, and one or more motion controls; 
 wherein the child car seat is adapted to simulate a motion and sound of a car seat being driven over a road in order to comfort and soothe an infant and to induce the infant to sleep; 
 wherein the motion mechanism produces a movement of the seat body when the motion mechanism is energized; 
 wherein the movement is vibration, longitudinal rocking, lateral rocking, or a combination thereof; 
 wherein the energization of the motion mechanism and a mode of operation are determine by a controller and communicated to the motion mechanism over wiring; 
 wherein the movement produced by the motion mechanism is rhythmic, random, or a combination thereof. 
 
     
     
       2. The child car seat according to  claim 1 
 wherein the seat body comprises a shell and a base; 
 wherein the seat body encloses electronic and electromechanical components and is adapted to provide a seating or reclining area for the infant the shell comprises padding and an operator control panel; 
 wherein the shell is a semi-ovate enclosure that is adapted to hold the infant; 
 wherein the shell is concave when viewed from above; 
 wherein a bottom of the shell is coupled to the base. 
 
     
     
       3. The child car seat according to  claim 2 
 wherein the padding is located within a hollow top of the shell and lines an interior sides of the shell; 
 wherein the padding is adapted to provide comfort for the infant by cushioning the infant from a walls of the shell; 
 wherein the padding covers the interior of the shell. 
 
     
     
       4. The child car seat according to  claim 3 
 wherein the padding is detachable and removable for laundering. 
 
     
     
       5. The child car seat according to  claim 3 
 wherein an upper rim around a top of the shell widens at the rear of the shell to form the operator control panel; 
 wherein the one or more sound controls and/or the one or more motion controls are mounted on the operator control panel. 
 
     
     
       6. The child car seat according to  claim 5 
 wherein the base is a support structure located on an underside of the shell; 
 wherein the base elevates the shell above a crib or other horizontal surface; 
 wherein the base houses the motion mechanism and a plurality of batteries. 
 
     
     
       7. The child car seat according to  claim 6 
 wherein the movement simulates the motions of automobile driving on the road. 
 
     
     
       8. The child car seat according to  claim 6 
 wherein the one or more speakers are adapted to be located within the shell such that the one or more speakers are heard by the infant; 
 wherein the one or more speakers play an audio program provided by the controller over the wiring. 
 
     
     
       9. The child car seat according to  claim 8 
 wherein the audio program comprises pre-recorded sounds, synthesized sounds, or a combination thereof. 
 
     
     
       10. The child car seat according to  claim 9 
 wherein the audio program simulates the sounds of automobile driving on the road. 
 
     
     
       11. The child car seat according to  claim 9 
 wherein the controller controls an operation of the motion mechanism and the one or more speakers; 
 wherein the controller reads a positions of the one or more sound controls and the one or more motion controls and responsive to the positions of the one or more sound controls and the one or more motion controls the controller determines a pattern and intensity for operating the motion mechanism and a volume and the audio program to play through the one or more speakers. 
 
     
     
       12. The child car seat according to  claim 11 
 wherein the child car seat comprises the plurality of batteries; 
 wherein the plurality of batteries resides within a battery compartment that is located in the base and/or the shell; 
 wherein the plurality of batteries comprises one or more energy-storage devices; 
 wherein the plurality of batteries are a source of electrical energy to operate the motion mechanism, the controller, and the one or more speakers; 
 wherein the plurality of batteries are replaceable or rechargeable; 
 wherein the plurality of batteries are electrically connected to the controller via the wiring. 
 
     
     
       13. The child car seat according to  claim 12 
 wherein a swaddling blanket comprises a left swaddling blanket half and a right swaddling blanket half; 
 wherein the swaddling blanket holds the infant in a supine position and comforts the infant. 
 
     
     
       14. The child car seat according to  claim 13 
 wherein the left swaddling blanket half attaches to the left side of the padding or the shell via a left swaddling blanket coupling; 
 wherein the right swaddling blanket half attaches to the right side of the padding or the shell via a right swaddling blanket coupling; 
 wherein the left swaddling blanket half and the right swaddling blanket half are adapted to be individually pulled across the infant and fastened on the opposing side of the shell. 
 
     
     
       15. The child car seat according to  claim 14 
 wherein the left swaddling blanket coupling and the right swaddling blanket coupling are detachable so that the left swaddling blanket half and the right swaddling blanket half are removed from the child car seat for laundering. 
 
     
     
       16. The child car seat according to  claim 14 
 wherein the child car seat is carried using a handle; 
 wherein the handle is pivotably coupled to the outside of the shell on the left side of the shell via a left handle pivot; 
 wherein the handle is pivotably coupled to the outside of the shell on the right side of the shell via a right handle pivot; 
 wherein the handle is rotated to a vertical position for carrying the child car seat or to a horizontal position when not in use. 
 
     
     
       17. The child car seat according to  claim 16 
 wherein a canopy is a collapsible shield that partially covers the shell when in a canopy deployed position; 
 wherein the canopy comprises a flexible cover held in place by a plurality of curved ribs; 
 wherein the plurality of curved ribs pivot at points at the top of each side of the shell; 
 wherein in a canopy stowed position, the canopy is pivoted to a horizontal orientation where the canopy is out of the way; 
 wherein in the canopy deployed position, the plurality of curved ribs is pivoted to a plurality of angular position between horizontal and vertical such that the flexible cover is stretched between a vertically-oriented rib and a horizontally-oriented rib.